Lyft Faces Opposition from City of Minneapolis

With opposition from city regulators, peer-to-peer car-sharing Lyft has launched in Minneapolis by offering users two weeks of free service (up to $25 per ride), according to a report by the Star Tribune. The City of Minneapolis says Lyft violates the city’s taxicab ordinances.

The city’s business licensing office warned it would ticket and impound Lyft vehicles because they qualify as taxicabs, according to the report. But Grant Wilson, Minneapolis’ head of business licensing, told the Star Tribune that the city won’t start enforcement until Lyft starts charging its users.

The city has already impounded three vehicles operated by Uber, a similar car-sharing service that started in Minneapolis in January, Wilson told the Star Tribune.

As car-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft have expanded, they have faced similar conflicts in other cities and opposition from the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA). Minneapolis expects to have a regulatory program in place for car-sharing companies by June, Wilson told the Star Tribune.

Click here for the full Star Tribune article: http://www.startribune.com/local/minneapolis/247954471.html